Goodreads Blurb: Ichabod Crane, a schoolteacher, came to Tarry Town in the glen of Sleepy Hollow to ply his trade in educating young minds. He was a gullible and excitable fellow, often so terrified by locals’ stories of ghosts that he would hurry through the woods on his way home, singing to keep from hysterics.
Goodreads Blurb: If any American fictional character of the twentieth century seems likely to be immortal, it is Lorelei Lee of Little Rock, Arkansas, the not-so-dumb blonde who knew that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Outrageous, charming, and unforgettable, she’s been portrayed on stage and screen by Carol Channing and Marilyn Monroe and has become the archetype of the footloose, good-hearted gold digger, with an insatiable appetite for orchids, champagne, and precious stones.
The Scottish Clearances: A History of the Dispossessed, 1600 – 1900 by T.M. Devine
Goodreads Blurb:Eighteenth-century Scotland is famed for generating many of the enlightened ideas which helped to shape the modern world. But there was in the same period another side to the history of the nation.
The Ancient Celts, Second Edition by Barry Cunliffe
Goodreads Blurb: “Fierce warriors and skilled craftsmen, the Celts were famous throughout the Ancient Mediterranean World. They were the archetypal barbarians from the north and were feared by both Greeks and Romans. For 2,500 years, they have continued to fascinate those who have come into contact with them, yet their origins have remained a mystery and even today are the subject of heated debate among historians and archaeologists.
A Short History of the World According to Sheep by Sally Coulthard
Goodreads Blurb: An addictively free-ranging survey of the huge impact that sheep have had on human history.
From the plains of ancient Mesopotamia to the rolling hills of medieval England to the vast sheep farms of modern-day Australia, sheep have been central to the human story.
Goodreads Review: I thought this would be a fun light read but my God was I wrong … in the best of ways. It’s astounding to think that without sheep, civilisation – both past and present -may have looked entirely different. For all we know, there may have never been one.
It would be what he calls his ‘messed-up head,’ his sometimes disordered thinking and the bad choices he makes. He really wants to fix that here at the beginning of the book.
Excerpt: I lie down on the stone and stare up at the sky. I do this for a long time. The puffy clouds change as I look at them; they elongate and stretch out into something smoother and harder looking. All golden on top but dark and red down below. Like me. Golden on the outside, so people say anyway, but dark and messed-up inside. And I need to change, like the clouds have just done. I need to take back what should never have been given away.
Alexander: Dancing with Fire
When Alexander turns eighteen, he learns that he has inherited a castle, the one that houses the dance school he attends, to be exact. He’s always wanted a do-over, a chance to fix the broken parts of himself and his life. Could this be it?
Instead of allowing the school to continue on as normal, Alexander throws the students and teachers out and claims the castle as his own.
At first he’s lonely. At first he’s hesitant. Will he have any friends left after this? The events of his uncle’s televised wedding at the castle prove that, while Alexander definitely still has friends, his broken ankle is actually the least damaged part of him.
Within the ancient castle walls, a world of dark family secrets is revealed. Join Alexander as he dances on the edge of sanity and survival, navigating through the flames of his turbulent past to forge a new future.
Alexander gets up to a lot of mischief throughout the series, so it’s a little hard to choose. He does something dramatic and shocking at his uncle’s wedding. It involves duct tape.
Excerpt: So, what to do? What would teach him a lesson? I look round the small room. A stone angel gazes back from the wall, its hand pointing downwards. See, I know this is like an ancient signpost to the underground tunnels but here, today, the angel seems to be pointing to the old drawer unit. I pull a few drawers open and find a roll of heavy-duty silver sticky tape and a scissors.
Alexander: Dancing with Fire
When Alexander turns eighteen, he learns that he has inherited a castle, the one that houses the dance school he attends, to be exact. He’s always wanted a do-over, a chance to fix the broken parts of himself and his life. Could this be it?
Instead of allowing the school to continue on as normal, Alexander throws the students and teachers out and claims the castle as his own.
At first he’s lonely. At first he’s hesitant. Will he have any friends left after this? The events of his uncle’s televised wedding at the castle prove that, while Alexander definitely still has friends, his broken ankle is actually the least damaged part of him.
Within the ancient castle walls, a world of dark family secrets is revealed. Join Alexander as he dances on the edge of sanity and survival, navigating through the flames of his turbulent past to forge a new future.
He considers his sister Simone to be an enemy. For a long time, he thought was his mother. I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Alexander for his messed-up back story. I am very, very, very sorry.
Excerpt: Simone… what’s the word? Saunters? Staggers? She would think it was something sophisticated like ‘sashays,’ I bet. But it’s really more like: slithers. She slithers up to us in her crumpled red dress, hair blonde again, her minder, Ross, nowhere to be seen.
She holds up her champagne glass as if in toast. “A Manteith is back on the throne of the castle,” she says. “All is as it should be.”
“Isn’t it about time you left?” I ask, staring her down. “I can’t believe you were actually invited.”
She shakes her head. “I’m here with Ross. His guest. But it’s a bit odd, though, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I agree. “It is. So leave.”
Alexander: Dancing with Fire
When Alexander turns eighteen, he learns that he has inherited a castle, the one that houses the dance school he attends, to be exact. He’s always wanted a do-over, a chance to fix the broken parts of himself and his life. Could this be it?
Instead of allowing the school to continue on as normal, Alexander throws the students and teachers out and claims the castle as his own.
At first he’s lonely. At first he’s hesitant. Will he have any friends left after this? The events of his uncle’s televised wedding at the castle prove that, while Alexander definitely still has friends, his broken ankle is actually the least damaged part of him.
Within the ancient castle walls, a world of dark family secrets is revealed. Join Alexander as he dances on the edge of sanity and survival, navigating through the flames of his turbulent past to forge a new future.
Yes, there is romance on the horizon for Alexander, but it will take him a long time to sort out his confused feelings and fears.
Excerpt: I would like to stay thinking about her. About her smile, and how it feels when she looks at me. How I feel when she hugs me, and the things she said when I first saw her at Justin’s wedding. She said I was sexy, like she really believed it. I would like to go back there, to that moment. Maybe make some different choices. Have a different sort of evening.
Alexander: Dancing with Fire
When Alexander turns eighteen, he learns that he has inherited a castle, the one that houses the dance school he attends, to be exact. He’s always wanted a do-over, a chance to fix the broken parts of himself and his life. Could this be it?
Instead of allowing the school to continue on as normal, Alexander throws the students and teachers out and claims the castle as his own.
At first he’s lonely. At first he’s hesitant. Will he have any friends left after this? The events of his uncle’s televised wedding at the castle prove that, while Alexander definitely still has friends, his broken ankle is actually the least damaged part of him.
Within the ancient castle walls, a world of dark family secrets is revealed. Join Alexander as he dances on the edge of sanity and survival, navigating through the flames of his turbulent past to forge a new future.
The Wee Writing Lassie 